Flooding still an acute problem in Jakarta

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta people should prepare for more flooding, likely to hit early next year as the city can only tackle a small part of the problem.

Head of the City Public Works Agency IGKG Suena said that 78 locations in the city were usually inundated during the rainy season every year. But at present, the city administration can only tackle the flooding problem at five of them.

"The remaining 73, mostly in North Jakarta, will still be liable to flooding during the annual rainy season," Suena told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

"We are not talking about the flood that inundated almost 70 percent of the city early this year. We are talking about flooding that occurs annually," said Suena.

The five areas expected to gain relief from flooding are: Tanah Merah, Pluit, North Jakarta; Kebon Baru, Tebet, South Jakarta; Utan Kayu, Matraman, East Jakarta; Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta and Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta.

The 73 areas likely to suffer flooding are spread across all five of the city's municipalities.

Therefore, Suena added, the public should prepare itself for the next rainy season as the city administration is unable to deal with flooding in major parts of the capital.

According to Suena, some Rp 125 billion has been allocated to flood prevention projects this year. This comprises Rp 55 billion from the city administration and Rp 70 billion from the central government.

He said the city's budget alone this year only allocated some Rp 22 billion to flood prevention projects, mostly for land acquisition for the Eastern Flood Canal project.

But in view of the very severe flooding in January and February, the city administration has this year added funds of Rp 33 billion to flood prevention projects, which include the dredging of rivers, repair of water pumps, improvements to the drainage system and cleaning up of a number of rivers.

Suena also said that the city would use the Rp 70 billion from the central government to finance flood prevention projects, particularly for dredging six main rivers of the total 13 in the city.

The six rivers include the Western Flood Canal, Cengkareng channel, Sunter river, Pluit channel, Ciliwung river in the Gunung Sahari area and the Beton river.

According to Suena, next year his agency would begin the Ciliwung revitalization project, to be funded by a Japanese government contribution of Rp 1.3 trillion.

"If the project is completed next year, it is hoped that people living alongside the Ciliwung river will not be affected by flooding," added Suwena.

According to him, construction of the 23-kilometer Eastern Flood Canal project should be postponed as the government has no money to continue the project.

He acknowledged that thus far, only some 5 percent of the land necessary for the project had been acquired.